Vitamin C, a water soluble vitamin, abundantly available in nature; very commonly taken potato has the power of reducing cataract risk; the reserchers from India say.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults who get very little vitamin C in their diets may have an increased risk of developing cataracts, a study in India finds.
Cataracts are a clouding of the eye's lens that commonly cause vision problems in older people. Some studies, but not all, have found that people with higher intakes of antioxidants, including vitamin C, may have a lower risk of developing the condition.
Anything below 11 micromoles per liter is considered a vitamin C deficiency.
Even in the group with the highest vitamin C levels, the typical amount was just 38 micromoles per liter. By comparison, in cataract studies in Europe and the U.S., the "high-C" groups have had levels of 70 micromoles or higher.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which means it helps protect body cells from damage caused by so-called oxidative stress.
Foods high in vitamin C include citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, green and red peppers, kiwifruit, strawberries, broccoli and tomatoes. In the U.S., the official recommendation is for men to get 90 milligrams of vitamin C per day, while women should get 75 milligrams.
